Department for Transport

Shipping: Registration

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency retaining core responsibility for the (a) commercial promotion and (b) auditing and assurance of the Red Ensign Group of Shipping Registers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State for Transport has ultimate responsibility for the safety of all British shipping and has delegated authority to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to ensure that the standards maintained by Red Ensign Group (REG) shipping registries operated by UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are in accordance with their International obligations. Commercial promotion and marketing is the responsibility of the individual shipping registries. The registers operate on the basis of mutual support rather than in direct commercial completion. The MCA’s promotion of the REG shipping registries is limited to ensuring that they all maintain the same core high standards and international obligations as the REG ship registers are represented as a single member state within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) by the UK. Overseeing, monitoring, enforcing of standards, the audit and assurance of the REG shipping registries, is undertaken by the MCA’s Business Improvement and Assurance (BI&A) team which is independent from the UK Ship Register (UKSR). As part of this process, the BI&A team will monitor REG members to ensure that they have in place the necessary resources and infrastructure appropriate to the types and size of ships they wish to register.

Shipping: Training

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average cost to (a) the public purse and (b) industry of training a seafarer (i) officer cadet, (ii) deck rating, (iii) engine rating, (iv) catering rating and (v) on-board services.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) is the Government’s financial support scheme for merchant navy training and is available to eligible shipping companies who sponsor eligible trainees that take approved courses. The total amount that can be claimed per trainee is listed in the table below. SMarT funding is not available for on-board services trainees. Type of TraineeMaximum SMarT Funding Available (£)Officer Cadet18,156Deck and Engine Room Rating (Traditional Route)385Deck and Engine Room Rating (MNTB/MCA approved route)*1,032Catering Rating (Ship’s Cook Rating)385 * MNTB - Merchant Navy Training Board; MCA – Maritime and Coastguard AgencyThe MCA does not collate information on the cost to industry of training a seafarer (i) officer cadet, (ii) deck rating, (iii) engine rating, (iv) catering rating and (v) on-board services. The total cost of training to each shipping company would vary depending upon a number of factors such as the type of course the trainee has taken, the nautical college attended (where applicable) and associated tuition fees, the amount of any training allowance paid, accommodation costs, travel and uniform costs.

Driving Tests

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to introduce driving tests for drivers who have previously passed that test (a) who are over 70 year old and (b) every 20 years.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport considers that medical fitness and practical competence, not age, are the relevant factors in deciding if a driver can continue to hold a licence. The rules for drivers renewing a license at the age of 70 are designed to be fair and proportionate, and there are no plans to change them.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the total cost of legal fees for the High Speed 2 project since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since the start of the High Speed 2 project, the Department for Transport has used two types of external legal advisers: solicitors (including parliamentary agents) and barristers. The Department has appointed a joint team of solicitors/parliamentary agents from Winckworth Sherwood and Eversheds LLP to provide support in relation to the High Speed 2 project. To date, it has paid £4,828,425.06 to Winckworth Sherwood and £3,876,903.30 to Eversheds. These figures are correct up to 18 March 2016 and are exclusive of VAT. The Department has previously instructed, or continues to instruct, the following barristers to support the HS2 project: Tim Mould QC, James Strachan QC, James Eadie QC, Jemima Stratford QC, James Maurici QC, Lisa Busch QC, John Jolliffe, Jacqueline Lean, Richard Turney and Richard Wald. Each barrister is remunerated at government hourly rates agreed with the Attorney General. The current spend to date on these barristers is £1,891,227.30 and is exclusive of VAT. Since approximately 2010, the Department has also instructed a number of barristers on other HS2 related work, primarily litigation. These barristers will have been remunerated at government hourly rates agreed with the Attorney General, but unfortunately it would involve disproportionate cost for the Department to provide precise figures.

Railways: North of England

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what forecast his Department has made of the total cost of legal fees for the High Speed 3 project over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The government and Transport for the North are jointly developing options to deliver dramatically improved rail journeys between the North’s principal city regions. The department has made no forecast of the total cost of legal fees for the HS3, or Northern Powerhouse Rail, project over the next five years. At Budget 2016, the government committed £60m for the development of plans for HS3 between Manchester and Leeds as well as the North’s other major cities.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the amount set aside for compensation payments to residents along the route of the High Speed 2 line for each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The compensation and assistance schemes available to owner-occupiers of residential and small business premises along the HS2 route are largely demand-led schemes and the costs will therefore depend on take-up. These payments are included in the overall budget for HS2 of £55.7 billion at 2015 prices.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to protect aircraft operating out of UK airports from the safety risks posed by drones.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply one of the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world. The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones. There are existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. The Department and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines) to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date and mitigations effective. We are talking to both the Civil Aviation Authority and airports to develop potential technical solutions to the problems around airports, these include mandated geo-fencing and frequency jammers. The Cross Government Working Group on RPAS has undertaken analysis of the use of drones for criminal purposes, including the potential use of drones for terrorist purposes, and the impacts of their negligent use near sensitive locations, such as airports. This work is kept under review and is being used to inform research and testing to improve mitigation techniques and strategies. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK. The Secretary of State will be writing to the police to request their assistance in raising awareness of drone risks and restrictions.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all drone owners are aware of restrictions on their use and the risks they pose.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking activities to raise awareness of the basic safety requirements, including an ongoing ‘Dronecode’ safety awareness campaign, issuing safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme. Officials from my Department are actively considering with the CAA the development of an expanded and diversified communication and education campaign, to include more mediums and supporting products, such as smart phone applications. The Secretary of State will be writing to the police to request their assistance in raising awareness of drone risks and restrictions.

Roads: Construction

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Road Investment Strategy schemes are due to begin construction in 2019-20.

Andrew Jones: The schedule for RIS schemes is set out in Highways England’s Delivery Plan 2015-2020 which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/424467/DSP2036-184_Highways_England_Delivery_Plan_FINAL_low_res_280415.pdf.

Driving Tests

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what fee his Department agreed with Learndirect in connection with its negotiated exit from the Drive and Vehicle Standards Agency contract for provision of the UK Driving Theory Test.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and learndirect Ltd have concluded an exit from the contract for the provision of the UK Driving Theory Test, which was due to transfer to learndirect Ltd in September 2016. The supplementary agreement to that exit is subject to commercial confidentiality. The agreement with Pearson Vue, the current provider of the theory test, to extend their contract is expected to lead to overall net benefits of more than £8million over four years to the theory test service and its customers.

Cycling: Training

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department provided for Bikeability in each year from 2007-08 to 2015-16 expressed in 2015-16 prices; and how much his Department plans to provide for that scheme in each year from 2016-17 to 2020-21 expressed in 2015-16 prices.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The amount of funding provided by the Department for Transport to support the delivery of Bikeability cycle training in each financial year from 2007/08 to 2015/16 is set-out in the table below: Financial Year 2007/082008/092009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16£m1.113.925.949.5011.4810.9711.7112.4511.19Funding expressed in 2015/16 prices £m1.304.496.6710.3512.2511.5112.0512.6011.19Footnotes: Figures provided in the table cover Bikeability training grant costs only. Funding expressed in 2015/16 prices was calculated using parameters in the Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) data book.  Between 2010/11 and 2015/16 this government provided an average of £11.66m per year in 2015/16 prices, compared to an average of £4.15m per year in the three years previously under Labour. The projected budget for the delivery of Bikeability in each financial year from 2016/17 to 2019/20 is set-out in the table below: Financial Year2016/172017/182018/192019/20£m11.4011.5911.7911.99Funding expressed in 2015/16 prices £m11.2211.2111.1911.15Footnotes: Figures provided in the table cover Bikeability training grant costs only. Funding expressed in 2015/16 prices was calculated using parameters in the Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) data book. Government funding for Bikeability in 2020/21 will be decided at a future Spending Review.

Department for Transport: IBM

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33749, on Department for Transport: IBM, when the contracts referred to in that Answer were awarded.

Mr Robert Goodwill: My department has 4 contracts with IBM (UK) Ltd and details are contained in the table below AgencyPurpose of contractAward dateDfTcAnnual Software maintenance on IBM SPSS licensing for statistical analysis30/04/2014DVLAQ Radar Security Monitoring Tool28/09/2015DVLAIBM Software-Extended Support01/10/2015DVLAIBM Enterprise Licensing Agreement (ELA)01/01/2016

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its consultation on drone regulation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We plan to launch the consultation over the summer.

Home Office

Deportation: EEA Nationals

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31329, on deportation: EU nationals, how many EEA foreign national offenders awaiting deportation have been waiting (a) less than one month, (b) one to three months, (c) three to six months, (d) six to nine months, (e) nine to 12 months, (f) one to two years and (g) more than two years.

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31329, on deportation: EU nationals, how many of the EEA foreign national offenders awaiting deportation are (a) in immigration removal centres, (b) in custody or other form of detention, (c) on bail and (d) living in the community.

James Brokenshire: Removals have been increasing year on year since 2010. In 2015, we removed 5,602 FNOs and over 29,000 foreign national offenders have been removed since 2010.Our records indicate that as of December 2015, there were 4,217 EEA foreign national offenders awaiting deportation.Of which:2,748 are still serving a custodial sentenceA total of 302 are time served detained in immigration removal centres (IRC) and prisons. (242 in IRCs and 60 in prison)1,167 are living in the community.Of the above, for those detained and living in the community (1,469), the time since the end of their custodial sentence is as follows:Less than one month 50One to three months 84Three to six months 58Six to nine months 60Nine to 12 months 49One to two years 132More than two years 80No UK conviction or sentence end date not recorded 956Total 1,469(1) The figures quoted have been derived from management information from the Home Office databases and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.(2) FNOs living in the community include those released by an Immigration Judge, those released by the Secretary of State and those with oversees convictions who may not have received a custodial sentence in the UK.(3) The data provided is up to December 2015. This is not routinely published data. General protocol is that the figures should not breach the National Statistics, so we are not able to disclose figures that are for a later period than those that we have published. Published figures are available up to 31 December 2015.

Deportation: EEA Nationals

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31329, on deportation: EU nationals, how many EEA foreign national offenders were awaiting deportation in December of each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: Removals have been increasing year on year since 2010. In 2015, we removed 5,602 FNOs and over 29,000 foreign national offenders have been removed since 2010. Our records indicate that as of December 2015, there were 4,217 EEA foreign national offenders awaiting deportation.Please find table below with the number of EEA foreign national offenders who were awaiting deportation in December since 2010. Dec-10Dec-11Dec-12Dec 13Dec 14Dec 15Total EEA FNO Stock2,7152,9553,1303,2123,7954,217 (1) The figures quoted have been derived from management information from the Home Office databases and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.(2) The data provided is up to December 2015. This is not routinely published data. General protocol is that the figures should not breach the National Statistics, so we are not able to disclose figures that are for a later period than those that we have published. Published figures are available up to 31 December 2015. (3) A Foreign National Offender (FNO) is defined as an individual with a criminal case on the Home Office's Case Information Database (CID) and may include individuals with asylum cases. (4) Due to changes in reporting, comparable data is not available prior to 2010. (5) EEA national figures inclusive of Irish nationals.

Infrastructure: Police

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to establish an Infrastructure Police Force to replace the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police.

Mike Penning: The Strategic Defence and Security Review made a commitment to “integrate infrastructure policing further and to review the options to do this” and this review is underway.

Visas

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32350, how many compliance visits have been carried out on Tier 2 ICT visa recipients employed by Tata Consulting Services in the UK over the last 12 months; and what aspects of employment were assessed on those compliance visits.

James Brokenshire: We routinely monitor all licensed sponsors to ensure they are meeting their duties and responsibilities. This includes undertaking visits to sponsors to inspect their compliance with the sponsor guidance. All visits to sponsors are undertaken according to published guidance which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-sponsor-managementWe are, however, unable to comment on specific cases.

Asylum: EU Law

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to make a final decision on take charge requests under each article of the Dublin regulations for decisions made each month since April 2015.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for  what reasons take charge requests under the Dublin regulations have been refused since April 2015.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under each article of the Dublin regulations were (a) received, (b) accepted and (c) rejected by the Government in each month since April 2015.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under each article of the Dublin regulations have been (a) received, (b) accepted and (c) rejected by the Government in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 19 April 2016



Whilst all asylum claims, including those accepted under Dublin III, are registered on the main immigration database the specifics of each case are not currently available in the form requested as the data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically.

Asylum: France

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children who have applied in France for asylum or family reunion in the UK since 2012 have been admitted to the UK.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 19 April 2016



Whilst all asylum claims, including those accepted under Dublin III, are registered on the main immigration database the specifics of each case are not currently available in the form requested as the data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically.

Asylum: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims from people from Yemen were granted in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claims for asylum from people from Yemen were refused in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

James Brokenshire: There were 9 and 50 grants of asylum or an alternative form of protection, at initial decision, to Yemeni nationals in 2014 and 2015 respectively.There were 34 and 43 refusals of asylum or an alternative form of protection, at initial decision, to Yemeni nationals in 2014 and 2015 respectively.The Home Office publishes figures on asylum initial decisions by nationality in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics, October to December 2015, is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015

Asylum: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Yemen claimed asylum in the UK in 2015.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Yemen claimed asylum in the UK in 2014.

James Brokenshire: There were 66 and 111 asylum applications from Yemeni nationals in 2014 and 2015, respectively.The Home Office publishes figures on asylum applications by nationality in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics, October to December 2015, is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015.

Deportation: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies were contracted to facilitate enforced returns to Yemen for failed asylum seekers from that country in 2014.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times on which dates in 2014 specialist contractors were used to facilitate the enforced return to Yemen of people from that country who had unsuccessfully claimed asylum in the UK.

James Brokenshire: All escorting services to facilitate enforced returns are provided by the Home Office’s main contractor, Tascor. In 2014, detainee custody officers from the Pilgrims Group, who are sub-contracted by Tascor were used on one occasion on 23rd July to facilitate the enforced return of an individual to Yemen.

Asylum: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims from people from Yemen were pending for the duration of (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

James Brokenshire: As at the end of 2014 and 2015 respectively, 66 and 73 asylum applications were pending a decision (initial decision, appeal or further review).The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum applications pending a decision in table as_01_q of the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015, is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releasePending cases are those asylum applications, including fresh claims, lodged since 1 April 2006 which are still under consideration at the end of the reference period.

Deportation: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people claiming asylum from Yemen have had that claim refused and have subsequently been removed from the UK in each of the last five years; and to which country each of those people have been removed.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 19 April 2016



The attached table shows the number of enforced and voluntary departures for nationals of Yemen, who had claimed asylum at some point, in each of the last five years and their destination.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures by destination are available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: October to December 2015, table rv.06 from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.



Enforced & voluntary departures
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.82 KB)

Vetting

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time was for a Disclosure and Barring Service check to be completed in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of introducing competition into the Disclosure and Barring Service; and if she will make a statement.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what records the Government holds on how many job opportunities have been lost due to the time taken for Disclosure and Barring Service checks to be made.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Disclosure and Barring Service checks took (a) longer than eight weeks, (b) 12 weeks or more and (c) six months or more in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The Disclosure and Barring Service is a non-departmental public body which provides access to appropriate criminal record information for employers through its disclosure service for England and Wales. It also makes independent barring decisions about people who have harmed, or where there is considered to be a risk of harm to, a child or vulnerable person within the workplace. Given the sensitive nature of this work and the reliance on police forces to provide locally held intelligence, it would not be appropriate to introduce competition.Whilst no assessment has been made of the affect of timeliness on the number of job opportunities which may have been lost, the impact which delays may have on applicants is recognised. The DBS is reliant on police forces completing their checks in a timely manner and is working closely with those forces whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. In very exceptional cases, where it is apparent that a delay is likely to cause undue hardship to an applicant, the DBS will do all it can to expedite the process by raising an escalation with the relevant police force.The average end to end time taken to complete a DBS check, including the time taken by police forces, is listed in following table. Financial YearAverage calendar days for a disclosure to be processed13/1411.514/1514.415/1614.5The proportion of checks which took longer than (a) eight weeks (b) 12 weeks and (c) six months is listed in the following table.Financial YearDisclosures which took longer than 8 weeksDisclosures which took longer than 12 weeksDisclosures which took longer than 6 Months% of Disclosures% of Disclosures% of Disclosures13/142.6%0.8%0.0%14/154.9%2.1%0.1%15/165.2%3.5%0.3%

Asylum: Families

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2016 to Question 32506, how many (a) unaccompanied children and (b) partners of refugees who had already been granted asylum in the UK were granted asylum in the UK in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 19 April 2016



I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave on 15 March 2015 to his question 30648.The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum claims from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) in the Immigration Statistics release. This includes information on applications received, decisions made by sex, age and country of nationality.The Home Office does not centrally record the number of people that apply for asylum who have a partner in the UK who has already been granted. This could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on which dates in 2014 enforced removals of people from Yemen who had unsuccessfully claimed asylum took place.

James Brokenshire: In 2014, there were 3 enforced removals of nationals of Yemen who had claimed asylum at some point; 1 in April to June 2014, 1 in July to September 2014 and 1 in October to December 2014.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures are available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: October to December 2015, table rv.03 from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

Asylum: Families

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2016 to Question 32506, what proportion of asylum claims made by unaccompanied children of refugees who had already been granted asylum in the UK were granted in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 19 April 2016



I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 March 2015 to his question 30647. The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum claims from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) in the Immigration Statistics release. This includes information on applications received, decisions made by sex, age and country of nationality.

Asylum: Nationality

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures and checks her Department has put in place to ensure that the new supplier of language analysis testing are fully qualified to conduct those tests.

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from professional linguists on the effectiveness of language analysis testing.

James Brokenshire: Language analysis assists us in determining whether asylum seekers are of the nationality or national origin they claim. It is one of the tools used by asylum decision makers to help resolve fairly issues of doubtful nationality or national origin and to ensure that those claiming asylum in a false identity are detected quickly. It does not replace the requirement during substantive interview to fully probe and investigate doubted nationality/national origin cases.Professional linguists have communicated with the Home Office regarding their particular preference for the different models available for language analysis testing. As part of the contract competition undertaken in 2014, language analysis companies provided strong evidence of the quality of the services offered. There are dedicated formal arrangements in place to monitor our suppliers’ compliance with the contract terms.

Hospitals: Demonstrations

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the use of buffer zones outside NHS hospitals where abortions are carried out.

Mike Penning: While peaceful protest is a vital part of our democratic society, there is a balance to be struck between the rights of those who wish to peacefully protest and the rights of others, such as clinic staff and patients, to go about their business free from harassment and intimidation.The law provides protection against harassment and intimidation and the police have a range of powers to manage protests. The use of these powers are an operational matter for the police.

Asylum: Yorkshire and the Humber

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many financial remedies were incurred as a result of breaches of the contract between the UK Border Agency and G4S Care and Justice Services in the North East Yorkshire and Humberside region for the provision of accommodation, transport and related services for persons claiming asylum or granted refugee status; and what the total cost of such remedies was.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Conservative Party: Security

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the taxpayer was of policing the Conservative Party event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Chipping Norton on 14 April 2016.

Mike Penning: This information is not held by the Home Office.

Knives: Children

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been convicted of selling a knife to someone under age since the introduction of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Counter-terrorism: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated to youth-focused projects in South Wales Police area as part of the PREVENT programme in each of the last three years.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fire Services: Recruitment

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of transparency and scrutiny used by fire and rescue authorities during their recruitment processes.

Mike Penning: Matters of recruitment are for individual fire and rescue authorities as employers. Any recruitment activity should be in line with the policies and procedures agreed by fire authority members, and appointments should be transparent and open to scrutiny by local citizens. The Government has taken steps to improve the transparency of this decision-making, not least through the Localism Act 2011 and its associated guidance.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Heathrow Airport

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure that the results of the police investigation into the drone collision at Heathrow airport on 17 April 2016 are published.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Entry Clearances

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the proportion is of (a) international students and (b) other migrants whose entry clearance visa or extension of stay has expired at the point at which they exit the UK.

James Brokenshire: Exit checks were introduced on 8 April 2015. My Department is considering the use of exit checks data for statistical reporting purposes and plans to publish an initial evaluation of the use of exit checks for this purpose on 26 May. Any data published then will be subject to data assurance standards.

Police

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests have been made by police forces for mutual aid in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The deployment of officers by police forces in England and Wales under mutual aid arrangements is an operational matter for those forces.The Home Office does not routinely collect the requested information.

Criminal Investigation

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations into crimes categorised as violent crimes and sexual offences were assigned an outcome of investigation complete - no suspect identified in (a) each year since 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: In April 2014, the Government reformed crime outcome data to give greater transparency to the public about the investigation and prosecution of crime.The requested outcomes data have been provided for the first available year (12 months to March 2015) and the most recent rolling year (12 months to September 2015) in the accompanying table. These have been given as proportions of recorded crimes recorded during the period rather than numbers as some forces were unable to supply data based on the new outcomes framework at the start of the period. The table also includes the proportion of crimes under active investigation awaiting an outcome from each period for further context.More recent figures for the year to December 2015 will be published on Thursday April 21, 2016.

Entry Clearances

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will put safeguards in place to ensure that (a) out of country entry clearance applications are rigorously checked, (b) all supporting documents for such applications are fairly considered and (c) applicants' details are not confused with other cases.

James Brokenshire: All out of country entry clearance applications are subject to an extensive range of mandatory and discretionary checks. These include, but are not limited to, biographic and biometric identity checks against national and international police records and against previous immigration history, as well as document verification.Applications are submitted at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) and are individually bundled. The bundles are sent to Decision Making Centres to be assessed by an Entry Clearance Officer, before being returned to the VAC. The application remains in individual bundles throughout the process to prevent applicants' details being confused with other cases.

Disclosure of Information

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the consultation into mandatory reporting.

Karen Bradley: The Government will launch a full 12 week public consultation later this year.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Public Places

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that all police officers are aware of restrictions around the use of drones in public areas and where permits are necessary.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Policing, Fire and Criminal Justice and Victims of 10 February 2016, Official Report, column 1594, on the Police Grant Report (England and Wales), how many operational on-duty frontline police officers there were in (a) the latest period for which figures are available and (b) 2010.

Mike Penning: The number and proportion of full time equivalent police officers employed in operational frontline roles as at 31 March 2015, the latest period for which figures are available, and 31 March 2010, are provided in the table.As HMIC has made clear, there is no simple link between police numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.Decisions on the size and composition of the police workforce are operational matters for Chief Officers working with their Police and Crime Commissioners and taking into account local priorities. What matters is how officers are deployed, not how many of them there are.



FTE police officers
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.44 KB)

House of Commons Commission

Palace of Westminster: Art Works

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how many representations of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic people there are in the paintings in the Palace of Westminster.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the response increase of home and structure demolitions by Israeli authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in February 2016 .

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I have not raised this specific issue with my Israeli counterpart. However, we remain deeply concerned by Israel’s policy on demolitions and regularly raise the matter with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 13 April.

Russia: Sanctions

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the future of the EU sanctions regime against Russia; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The UK strongly supports the EU’s strategy for resolving the Ukraine crisis through diplomacy underpinned by sanctions pressure. Sanctions on Russia are an important way for the EU to support a peaceful resolution of the crisis through full implementation of the Minsk agreements. As the European Council made clear in March 2015, sanctions against Russia must remain in full until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented.

Yemen: Iran

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Iran following the discovery by the US of an Iranian ship bound for Yemen containing a significant cache of weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We urge Iran to desist from any transfer of weapons and play a constructive role in the region.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Iran on efforts to secure a peace settlement between the Houthi rebels and Yemen government; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We encourage Iran to show it can have a constructive role in Yemen’s future through promoting stability and showing commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen. We last discussed the situation in Yemen with Iran on 19 April.

Yemen: Iran

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the discovery by the US Navy of an Iranian ship bound for Yemen containing a significant cache of weapons is a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2216; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: UNSCR 2216 states that all Member States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the named individuals and entities designated by the Yemen Sanctions Committee. We continue to urge Iran to desist any transfer of weapons particularly those that breach any UN Security Council Resolution and instead to play a constructive role in the region.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic resources he is providing to the peace talks between the Houthi rebels and Saudi-led coalition in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK is providing diplomatic and financial support to the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, in convening UN-facilitated talks between relevant Yemeni parties. We welcome the cessation of hostilities that began on 10 April and strongly encourage all parties to respect it, and engage constructively in forthcoming peace talks.

Weapons: Proliferation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding was allocated to the counter-proliferation programme in each of the last six financial years; and how much funding has been allocated to that programme for the 2016-17 financial year.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The current allocation for the FCO Counter Proliferation Programme in 2016/17 is £3,490,591. Figures for the amount spent in previous years are provided below:2015/16 - £2,495,771 (subject to end of financial year adjustments)2014/15 - £1,616,576 2013/14 - £1,965,2402012/13 - £3,133,9992011/12 - £3,252,4712010/11 - £2,416,828

Weapons: Proliferation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much in support of which projects the counter-proliferation programme spent in each of the last six financial years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We publish a strategy for the FCO Counter Proliferation Programme each year. The strategy for 2016/17 is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counter-proliferation-programme The largest programme contribution in the last six financial years was £506,432 in 2015/16 to support the IAEA’s additional verification work in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran. The programme also made a contribution in 2013/14 amounting to £400,000. In previous years contributions have been made to international organisations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, Arms Trade Treaty and export control regimes.Partners have also included Chatham House, Kings College London, Saferworld, Small Arms Survey and Wilton Park.

Pakistan: Terrorism

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) immediate and (b) long-term support the Government is giving to the government of Pakistan in response to the most recent attacks in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I utterly condemn the attack which took place on Easter Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan.The UK continues to stand with Pakistan in tackling terrorism, and the extremism that sustains it. In the immediate and long term, we are working with Pakistan to increase its ability to detect and disrupt improvised explosive devices, and to support capacity building and reform of the civilian criminal justice system so that those responsible for attacks are held to account in line with international standards on human rights. We also support Pakistan to confront extremist narratives and address the root causes of extremism and terrorism.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what commitments on compensation and other matters the UK and other EU member-states agreed to implement under the provisions of the EU Political and Security note of December 2014, contingent on the EU Structured Dialogue with the State of Israel halting demolitions by 17 March 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There has been a significant increase in Israeli demolitions since the start of 2016. The EU is considering how to respond to the demolition and confiscation of EU-funded structures in Area C. The UK and the EU continue to raise concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel and make it clear that demolitions are contrary to international humanitarian law in all but the most exceptional cases.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No posts in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, or any of the Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies have been abolished in, or relocated from, East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and none will be abolished in, or relocated from, East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Gambia: Politics and Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in The Gambia following recent disturbances including in the state of Coma.

James Duddridge: The United Kingdom is deeply concerned over reports of excessive violence and ill treatment of those in custody following peaceful demonstrations in The Gambia. I have called on The Gambian authorities to investigate these allegations in a thorough and transparent manner, ensuring that anyone responsible for any wrongdoing is held accountable and brought to justice. Those in custody should either be charged or released immediately and be treated in accordance with internationally acceptable human rights standards. Our Ambassador in The Gambia formally raised our concerns with The Gambia’s Foreign Minister on 18 April.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will (a) investigate whether JC Bamford Excavators has supplied equipment which has been used in construction of illegal settlements and destruction of Palestinian homes and (b) make an assessment of whether that company has contravened the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have no plans to investigate the case raised.

South Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UN missions in South Sudan in protecting civilians in South Sudan.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has had significant effect in protecting civilians, most notably the 200,000 internally displaced persons who have sought shelter on its bases. However, the mission faces a number of challenges, not least continued obstruction and access restrictions by the parties to the conflict. The UK will continue to work with UNMISS to improve the effectiveness of the mission’s operations and is working with the UN to finalise the new military deployment of 250 - 300 British troops to the Mission announced by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), in September 2015.

Armed Conflict: Health Services

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will support the draft UN resolution on protection of medical facilities in conflict and investigations into incidents when such facilities are attacked.

Mr Philip Hammond: Medical personnel and facilities are entitled to respect and protection under specific provisions in international humanitarian law. We are concerned at the growing number of attacks on medical personnel and facilities in conflict situations. The UK is working with other members of the Security Council on a draft resolution on this issue, and it hopes that a text emerges that all Council members can support. The UK would like the text to reinforce the need for the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence in the provision of humanitarian assistance to be respected.

Israel: Palestinians

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on initiatives by that government to convene a peace conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has discussed this issue with the French Foreign Minister and also with Ambassador Pierre Vimont, the French Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace Process. British officials have also regularly discussed the initiative with their French counterparts.

Ilois: Resettlement

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many Chagossian families have not received any compensation from the public purse.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much compensation was paid from the public purse to Chagossians; on what dates such compensation payments were made; and how many families were so compensated.

James Duddridge: The UK Government has paid out around £21m at current prices. This comprises two sums. An initial figure of £650,000 which the UK Government paid in 1973 to the Government of Mauritius towards the resettlement of those removed from the British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965. This was disbursed with accrued interest in 1977 and 1978 to 595 families. Furthermore, in 1982 the UK Government paid over a further £4m pursuant to an agreement with the Government of Mauritius which had established the Ilois Trust Fund Board to distribute the money for the benefit of the Chagossians. The government of Mauritius had also contributed some land to the Trust Fund and the government of India contributed £1m to it. At least 1,344 Chagossians received compensation through the Trust Fund, which was largely paid out between 1982 and 1984, with a final disbursement in 1987. The Government does not hold information about those it has not compensated.

Ilois: Resettlement

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much compensation was paid from the public purse to Chagossians who were deported to the Seychelles.

James Duddridge: Due to ongoing legal action against the Government, I regret that I am unable to respond to the question at this stage. As soon as matters are concluded, I shall write to the Hon. Gentleman with an answer to his question.

Chagos Refugees Group

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons the Government did not meet Olivier Bancoult, Chair of the Chagos Refugees Group, during his recent visit to the UK.

James Duddridge: I am not aware of any invitations to the government to meet Mr Bancoult during his recent visit to the UK. Officials who were asked whether they might wish to meet Mr Bancoult were concerned about the propriety and appropriateness of doing so at a time when he is litigating against the Government.

Israel: Intelligence Services

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of plans by the Israeli government to use its security services to disrupt and gather information on supporters of a boycott of Israel; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of such plans on UK citizens.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of media reporting on this issue. No assessment has been made.

Northern Ireland Office

Kincora Children's Home

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on the inquiry into alleged child abuse at the Kincora boys home.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: This is a matter for the independent Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry. I can confirm that there will be the fullest possible degree of co-operation by the UK Government and its agencies.

Attorney General

Companies: Prosecutions

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many companies have self-reported to the Serious Fraud Office for a Deferred Prosecution Agreement.

Jeremy Wright: The Serious Fraud Office has received self-reports from companies but it would not be appropriate to confirm numbers. The process of reaching Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) happens in stages. Initial negotiations are confidential to encourage openness on the part of the company. Under the Criminal Procedure Rules, the Court determines whether any relevant hearings are heard in public or in private. Any DPA must be approved by a judge and publicised.

Confiscation Orders

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how much debt remains outstanding under confiscation orders obtained by the CPS; and what recent estimate he has made of how much of that debt is recoverable.

Jeremy Wright: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) have responsibility for the enforcement of all domestic confiscation orders. The CPS assists in the enforcement process when it can add value, such as by managing restraint orders, seeking the appointment of enforcement receivers or by requesting mutual legal assistance from overseas jurisdictions in respect of assets located abroad. When the CPS can no longer provide additional value, the lead enforcement role reverts to the HMCTS and the CPS no longer monitors its progress.   The latest CPS data relates to February 2016. Over the last twelve months outstanding debt (excluding interest) has decreased by 18.4% from £505,598,593 to £412,652,493.   The CPS is leading in the enforcement of 1172 confiscation orders and the outstanding debt, excluding interest is £412,652,493 of which £157,210,118 or 38.1% has been assessed as being realistically recoverable.   The Court determines the recoverable amount and an assessment of what is recoverable is carried out by the CPS on a monthly basis in respect of all cases. The majority of unrecoverable assets are hidden, whilst the remainders consist of assets where there are third party claims; the assets are held in jurisdictions where the authorities have taken the view that the defendant does not have the interest in the asset; or where the asset has simply diminished in value.

Homicide and Sexual Offences: Foreign Nationals

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of (a) murder, (b) rape and (c) sexual assault cases were prosecuted where the defendant was a non-EU national in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain any centrally held data that would enable the identification of the nationality of any defendants, whether they are an EU national or not. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, further to the oral contribution of the Minister for Skills of 2 February 2016, Official Report, column 776, whether his Department intends to bring forward amendments relating to check-off and facilities time before the Trade Union Bill reaches Report Stage in the House of Lords.

Nick Boles: Government amendments to Clause 12 (Facility Time Reporting) and Clause 13 (Facility Time cap) of the Trade Union Bill were included in the Bill at Lords Committee. The remaining stages in the Lords are amending stages and the Government will table amendments as necessary.

Trade Unions: Membership

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what sanctions the Certification Officer can implement against trades unions which fail to compile and maintain an accurate register of members; and on what occasions such sanctions have been used in the last 10 years.

Nick Boles: Section 24(1) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 currently requires trade unions to keep registers of their members’ names and addresses and to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that these registers are accurate and up-to-date. Under the 1992 Act, if the Certification Officer finds that a union has breached this duty, he must make a declaration of his findings and may make an enforcement order. Failure to comply with the Certification Officer’s enforcement order may be treated as contempt of court. In the last 10 years, the Certification Officer has made one declaration that Unite the Union breached section 24(1) of the 1992 Act. This case was Mr J Hicks v Unite the Union (No2) (D/32-39/14-15). The Certification Officer decided that it was not appropriate to issue an enforcement order in this case.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Apprentices

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many civil service apprentices have been appointed by his Department to date.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 11 April 2016



Since 2010 BIS has appointed a total of 89 apprentices, of which 44 were new appointments and 45 were existing civil servants taking up an apprenticeship. BIS is committed to meet the apprenticeship target of 2.3% of the workforce.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Location

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to which location he plans to relocate his Department's functions out of London.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has not yet made final decisions on its future estate. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise has already informed the House, the current plans for the Department’s future estate are for:A combined HQ and policy centre in LondonBusiness-facing centre, likely to be in South WalesInstitutional and Research funding centre, likely to be in Swindon, but may initially also include BristolFurther education funding centre – location yet to be decided but may initially be in CoventryHigher education student finance centre, initially in Glasgow and DarlingtonA regulation centre likely to be in BirminghamA combined regional footprint for where service delivery to local users need to happen on a local basis, comprising the BIS Local offices and local service delivery

Apprentices: Hearing Impairment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether if a participant is unable to obtain Level 1 English as a result of deafness, fluency in British Sign Language can be accepted as a qualification for completing an intermediate apprenticeship.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 14 April 2016



   It is a minimum requirement of an intermediate apprenticeship that the apprentice complete Level 1 English and maths. British Sign Language (BSL) is not currently recognised as an alternative for the purposes of completing an apprenticeship. Apprentices can apply for Access to Work funding for reasonable adjustments. These will depend on the individual’s need and the qualification, but may include extra time, assistive technology and the use of a scribe. BSL is permitted as a reasonable adjustment for the oral element of functional skills. We are considering whether BSL could be an acceptable alternative to qualifications in English for the purposes of completing an apprenticeship.

Apprentices: Degrees

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that employers accord degree apprenticeships the same esteem as traditional university degrees.

Nick Boles: The Government wants young people to have the opportunity to access high quality degree level training, whether through a full-time undergraduate route or a world-class degree apprenticeship.   Both traditional degrees and new degree apprenticeships meet the high quality criteria expected of a higher education qualification. Degree Apprenticeships are designed by groups of employers working with higher education institutions, and provide a valuable route for people to obtain a degree-level qualification alongside training for a career, with the prospect of a job from day one Degree apprenticeships will feature in the new communications campaign being launched in May, promoting the benefits of apprenticeships to employers and young people.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) full-time equivalent civil servants work in his Department and (b) civil servants work full-time on the Northern Powerhouse agenda.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Institute for Apprenticeships: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of Sheffield as a potential location for the new Institute for Apprenticeships.

Nick Boles: There has not yet been an assessment of the potential location for the new Institute for Apprenticeships.

Higher Education: Standards

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals arising from the Review of Quality Assessment on the (a) cohesiveness of the UK-wide system of quality assessment and (b) adoption of that system by other countries.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the funding councils' proposals arising from the Review of Quality Assessment will subject all UK universities, further education colleges offering UK higher education provision and all alternative providers, including their international reach, to the same system of external quality review.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the devolved administrations on the implications for their policies of the outcome of the Review of Quality Assessment.

Joseph Johnson: Higher Education is a devolved matter. In England the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has statutory responsibility for assessing quality in the provision that it funds. There are parallel quality assessment (QA) arrangements in place that apply to alternative providers. Officials in my Department have held a number of discussions with the devolved administrations and with HEFCE regarding HEFCE’s recent Review of Quality Assessment and its outcomes, including on how we are maintaining a cohesive, UK-wide approach to quality assessment. Further information on our future approach to quality assessment, across all types of HE providers, will be announced when we publish the response to our Higher Education Green Paper.

Department for International Development

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Madaya in Syria.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Across Syria, Assad and other parties to the conflict are wilfully impeding humanitarian access on a day-by-day basis. We have given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to those in need and continue to push for humanitarian access to be granted to all besieged and hard to reach places. This includes through our participation in the International Syria Support Group’s Humanitarian Taskforce and our position in the UN Security Council.On Madaya, several inter-agency convoys have now reached the town delivering much-needed humanitarian assistance. On 23 March, the UN received written approval from the regime for further inter-agency convoys in April to six of eleven besieged locations including Madaya. Under this plan, deliveries are expected to reach 40,000 people in Madaya. We also are pleased that on 4 April, the Syria Arab Red Crescent was able to supervise medical evacuations from Madaya.However, progress is too slow and we are deeply concerned by reports of civilian deaths in Madaya due to blocked medical evacuations. We are calling for this to end, alongside the removal of medical equipment from convoys by the regime, and regular access to healthcare for besieged populations.

Overseas Aid: Accountability

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that funding from the public purse for her Department's work (a) does not reach unintended destinations and (b) is tracked from its source to its intended project.

Mr Nick Hurd: At every stage in the programme cycle DFID assesses and mitigates the risk that aid could be diverted from its intended purpose or project. DFID provided a comprehensive written answer on 29 March 2016 [Hansard ref 31732] which set out in more detail the steps DFID take to ensure that funding from the public purse for her Department's work (a) does not end up in unintended destinations and (b) is tracked from its source to its intended project. In addition, DFID’s Counter Fraud and Whistleblowing Unit will take all necessary steps to investigate swiftly all allegations of corruption and fraud and pursue sanctions available in each case, including dismissal, prosecution, suspension and cancellation of aid.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the total value of (a) general budget support and (b) sectoral budget support provided by her Department was in each of the last six years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The amount of general budget support and sector budget support provided by DFID in each of the last five financial years can be found in Table 1 of ‘Statistics on International Development 2015: Gross Public Expenditure tables’, available online. Figures for 2009/10 can be found in Table 1 of ‘Statistics on International Development 2013/14: Gross Public Expenditure tables’.

Armed Conflict: Children

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department funds for the support and treatment of African former child soldiers.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and protecting children affected by armed conflict. Minister Shapps met with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict at the UN General Assembly in 2015 to demonstrate the UK’s engagement on this critical issue. We also support international efforts, for example through the Common Humanitarian Funds and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in conflict-affected and fragile countries in Africa, to assist children, including those who have been members of armed groups, and to reduce the risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. In the long-term children are best protected by peaceful, accountable states capable of providing security and justice for all, access to basic services, and meeting the needs of vulnerable groups. Building peaceful states and societies is the overarching framework of our work in countries affected by conflict and fragility.We also recognise that education is important in order to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and reintegrate former child soldiers back into their communities. DFID is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries, especially in Africa. Between 2010 and 2015 the UK Government supported 11 million children in school across 21 countries; 7.5 million of them in countries considered to be fragile. We have again pledged to support 11 million children with a decent education between 2015 and 2020.

South Sudan: Health Services

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of conflict in South Sudan on the availability of medicines in that country.

Mr Nick Hurd: The recurrent shortage of medical supplies in South Sudan is a result of the failure of the South Sudanese Government to take responsibility for the procurement of medicines for their people, against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict.The UK, along with donor partners, has agreed a staggered strategy (to December 2016) to prevent a major drugs shortage crisis across the country. In addition, the DFID-led Health Pooled Fund will help in the procurement and supply of essential drugs between 2017 and 2018. This programme will also include the establishment of a robust, South Sudan government-led, system for the future procurement, management and distribution of medicines. The UK continues to advocate for the South Sudanese government to allocate sufficient funds to essential medicines for their people, and demands both the government and opposition to work together to urgently implement the August peace agreement.

Department for Education

Community Schools

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of existing multi-academy trusts to absorb the remaining community schools in (a) England and (b) Yorkshire.

Edward Timpson: Existing schools are choosing to join or form a multi-academy trust (MAT); in 2014/15 over 90% joined or formed a multi-academy trust with one or more other schools. They are doing this because forming these MAT partnerships creates capacity in the system allowing schools to pool resources, share best practice, and benefit from strong leadership.We are committing over £500M to build capacity and convert schools over the next four years – including recruiting excellent sponsors and encouraging the development of strong multi-academy trusts.

Free Schools: Kirklees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the capital and revenue costs of free schools in Kirklees that (a) have been provided to date, (b) are to be provided in 2016-17 and (c) are projected to be provided between 2017 and 2020.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the capital and revenue costs of free schools in London that (a) have been provided to date, (b) are to be provided in 2016-17 and (c) are projected to be provided between 2017 and 2020.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the capital and revenue costs of free schools that (a) have been provided to date, (b) are to be provided in 2016-17 and (c) are projected to be provided between 2017 and 2020.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education’s accounts show that the total capital spend on free schools up to the end of 2013-14 was £1.029bn; the accounts for following years will be published in due course. The capital costs of individual projects are published once contracts are finalised and are no longer commercially sensitive. They are published, along with the costs of sixteen projects in London and one project in Kirklees, on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-funding-for-open-free-schoolsThe total pre- and post-opening revenue expenditure for free school projects that opened in 2011 to 2013 is also published on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-expenditure-for-free-schoolsWe plan to publish updated revenue expenditure for free schools that were opened in 2014 and 2015 within the next few weeks. This data will be updated annually each Autumn.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.35 of Educational excellence everywhere, Cm 9230, what powers she has to require local authority maintained schools to provide details of everyone involved in governance for a new database; and when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to bar unsuitable individuals from being governors of maintained schools.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 18 April 2016



The Education Act 2002 gives the Secretary of State the power to give guidance to maintained schools governing bodies about their constitution. She also has a number of other information gathering powers in legislation. We expect to use this combination to make provision for the database by 1 September 2016. We also intend to bring forward legislation on barring unsuitable individuals from being governors of maintained schools at the earliest opportunity.

National Curriculum Tests

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to reduce teacher workload and maintain pupil well-being when new Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 assessments are introduced.

Nick Gibb: Primary schools already carry out assessments at the end of key stages 1 and 2. We have developed new forms of assessment to align with the new National Curriculum. We recognise that in this first year of the new the assessments pupils and teachers will be adapting to the change, but the best way to prepare pupils remains to focus on teaching the new National Curriculum, which schools have been doing since September 2014.The removal of unnecessary workload is a priority for this Department. Our primary assessment reforms have been designed to put arrangements for the majority of classroom assessment, between key stages, back into the hands of schools and to reduce the tracking burdens that national curriculum levels encouraged. We believe schools are best placed to decide how to assess pupils in line with their curriculum and that over time this should lead to a reduction in workload for teachers so that their efforts can focus on teaching.As previously, schools should encourage high attainment among all pupils to but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time for assessment and certainly not at the expense of a pupil’s wellbeing. We trust teachers to administer tests in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools are also required to provide continuous and appropriate support as part of a whole school approach to supporting the wellbeing and resilience of pupils.While we have set a more challenging expected standard to reflect our high aspirations for children, the new statutory assessments still measure the same range of attainment as previously. In addition, statutory assessments only form part of the broader assessments that teachers make on an ongoing basis. Schools should continue to put statutory assessment outcomes in the context of pupils’ overall achievements and progress. We expect schools to ensure that assessment is reported in an appropriate and proportionate manner.

Beacon Multi-Academy Trust

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received on the financial management of (a) Beacon Multi-Academy Trust and (b) schools under the management of that trust.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Beacon Multi-Academy Trust

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received on the (a) expansion of existing schools or (b) creation of new schools from (i) Beal High School and (ii) the Beacon Multi-Academy Trust.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Enterprise Advisers

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, to which regions the 173 volunteer Enterprise Advisers have been appointed.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, to which regions the 50 Enterprise Coordinators have been appointed.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is continuing to make excellent progress to transform the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people, including growing its Enterprise Advisers Network. The CEC is responsible for the administrative resources provided to the network. We therefore suggest contacting the company directly for detailed information about the network, including regions to which Enterprise Co-ordinators and Advisers have been appointed. The CEC can be contacted at [emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Learning Disability

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department takes to assess the risk of re-offending of offenders with learning disabilities before they are moved from in-patient care to care in the community.

Andrew Selous: When considering whether to discharge offenders detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 from hospital, the Secretary of State or the First-Tier Tribunal (Mental Health) must decide whether the detention criteria in the Act continue to be met. These are whether the person is suffering from a mental disorder of a nature or degree that warrants detention in hospital for treatment; or it is necessary for the health and safety of the patient or for the protection of others that he or she should receive such treatment; or the appropriate medical treatment is available. Decisions are based on advice provided by clinicians. The risk of re-offending by all patients, including those with learning disabilities, may inform their treatment programmes in hospital - for example, tackling drug addiction or reducing violence. The Secretary of State or the Tribunal will also take such risks into account for the purposes of determining the conditions for discharge into the community. Any learning disabilities may also be reflected in the level of care and support that offenders may be offered once they are in the community.

Young Offenders

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to provide young offenders with (a) rehabilitation and (b) education to reduce the likelihood of them reoffending.

Andrew Selous: Although youth crime is down, reoffending rates are far too high and the care and supervision of young offenders in custody is not good enough. That is why the Justice Secretary has asked Charlie Taylor to conduct a review of youth justice. He will report back later this year with recommendations on how to improve the treatment of young people in our care.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of a custodial sentence given to someone convicted of animal cruelty was in the last year for which figures are available.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is available in the “outcomes by offences” table which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

Probation

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders in category (a) 1, (b) 2, and (c) 3 are being managed by multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in England and Wales; and how many MAPPA-managed offenders there have been in each year since 2010.

Andrew Selous: This information is available in table 1 of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Reports. These can be found at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2014-to-2015 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2013-14 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2012-13 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-annual-report-2011-12 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mappa-annual-report-20010-11 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-annual-report-2009-10

Self-inflicted Deaths in Custody of 18-24 Year Olds Independent Review

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his contribution of 8 March 2016, Official Report, column 126, in response to the hon. Member for Derby North, which recommendations of the Harris review (a) have been implemented, (b) are under consideration and (c) have been rejected.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government responded to the Harris review in December 2015. This document can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486564/gov-response-harris-review.pdf The government accepted 62 of the recommendations of the Harris Review. Of these, 32 have already been implemented. Work is ongoing on a further 21 recommendations and we are considering next steps on 16 recommendations. 12 of these are being considered as part of or alongside the existing programme of prison reform.

Interpreters

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33365, on interpreters, what the average length of delay was that his Department attributes to late or absent interpreters since Capita took over the contract.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The information requested is not collected centrally. The volume of trials requiring relisting due to the unavailability of an interpreter is at the lowest level it has been since 2011. Further information on the volume of trials listed in the criminal courts, and those which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter absence, is published in the Criminal Court Statistics, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of appeals to the Tribunals Service from appellants in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England regarding (i) personal independence payment, (ii) employment and support allowance, (iii) income support, (iv) jobseeker's allowance and (v) tax credits were successful in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The table below shows the proportion of appeals which were decided in favour of the appellant in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England relating to (i) Personal Independence Payment (PIP), (ii) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), (iii) Income Support (IS), (iv) Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and (v) tax credits between October and December 2015, the latest period for which figures are available. Proportion of appeals decided in favour of the appellant between October and December 2015 6 PIP1ESA2ISJSATax Credits3  Coventry75%55%71%67%20%  West Midlands 462%46%45%47%34%  England 562%57%42%44%44% Notes: Based on cases cleared at tribunal hearing. SSCS data are normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address, but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue. 1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments).2. Includes Employment Support Allowance and Employment Support Allowance (Reassessments).3. Includes Working Family Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Working Tax Credit.4. West Midlands includes the venues: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Shrewsbury, Worcester (Fownes), Kidderminster, Coventry (CMCB), Worcester (Magistrates Court), Hereford (Magistrates Court).5. Excludes SSCS Scotland and Wales.6. Proportion of decisions in favour represents the number of cases found in favour of the appellant as a percentage of those cleared at hearing. Cleared at tribunal hearing excludes those cases disposed of without the need of a hearing (i.e. decisions retrospectively superseded by the 1st Tier Agencies and those struck out or withdrawn prior to a hearing). Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available. The data may differ slightly to that of the published statistics as the data were produced on a different date.

Prime Minister

Syria: Military Intervention

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Prime Minister, what criteria the Government uses to decide whether to carry out targeted strikes against individuals in Syria.

Mr David Cameron: Following the House of Commons vote on 2 December 2015, the UK joined a global coalition taking military action to tackle the threat posed by Daesh in Syria, as well as Iraq. The action in which the UK is participating includes targeted strikes against members of Daesh in Syria and Iraq, as well as targeting Daesh’s infrastructure, deployed forces and sources of revenue. The Coalition’s ongoing action, including the role of the UK, is lawful in Syria under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and in Iraq with the consent of the Iraqi Government. Coalition action has the support of the international community as reflected in UN Security Council resolution 2249(2015), and the support of the House of Commons. My comments to the then right hon. Member for Neath (Mr Hain) on 26 September 2014, Official Report, column 1265, and the Oral Statement I gave on 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 26, about taking lawful action in response to an identified, direct and imminent threat to the UK would still apply, of course, to individuals in Syria and Iraq who are not members of Daesh. The Government reserves the right to take lawful action to address an identified, direct and imminent threat to the UK and report to Parliament after it has done so.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase tourism in Cornwall from (a) domestic and (b) foreign visitors.

David Evennett: Our tourism industry supports millions of jobs and is one of the nation's leading employers and export earners. In 2014, the sector contributed nearly £60bn to the UK economy, and at the latest spending round the Chancellor announced a new £40m Discover England to encourage international visitors to explore beyond London. In the South West, the number of domestic visitors has​ increased by 14% in the 12 months to December 2015, compared with the previous year; and we have been working to promote international tourism through the £5m South West Tourism Growth Fund. Full-year data for international visitors in 2015 will be released in due course.

Broadband

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how far superfast broadband coverage was extended geographically in 2015; and which counties received the most investment in their superfast broadband coverage in that year.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Superfast broadband coverage in the UK increased from 75% to 83%, according to the latest Ofcom report. Recent independent analysis from Think Broadband has indicated that 90% of UK premises now have superfast broadband (measured at 24 +Mbit/s). In addition all premises which cannot currently get 2Mbps will be able take advantage of a subsidised satellite broadband service which can deliver speeds of 10Mbps or more.BDUK has allocated all of its funding to the local authorities in England and the three Devolved Administrations, which are responsible for the delivery of the superfast broadband programme. Until the programme ends, additional grants will be paid to those local bodies when a delivery milestone has been achieved. Indicative government funding allocations for each project area are published at:https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zwLLqmDnfnjA.khRmsBv2kR70

Channel Four Television

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on the future of Channel 4.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The government wants to ensure a strong and secure future for Channel 4 in what is a fast-changing and challenging broadcasting environment. The government is looking at a broad range of options, including those proposed by Channel 4’s leadership.

Sports: Drugs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on making doping in sport a criminal offence.

David Evennett: The case for legislation including criminal powers is currently being reviewed by the Department.

BBC Trust

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his plans are for the body that will replace the BBC Trust.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government will set out its plans for the future of the BBC in a White Paper in the Spring.

Arts: Sponsorship

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage corporate sponsorship of the arts at a local level.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government believes that a thriving arts sector is vital for the cultural landscape of this country. We highlighted in the recent Culture White Paper that we would like to see a rejuvenated approach to corporate sponsorship of the arts. We are working with Arts Council England and other partners on this agenda, including looking at local level partnerships. Arts Council have already commissioned a new Private Investment Survey and is currently inviting all arts and cultural organisations in England to take part by April 29th. The new survey will be published in the autumn and will provide an updated overview of private investment in England’s cultural sectors, including at the local level. It will also bridge the gap in terms of data on how the sector has developed since the last survey was published covering data for 2011/12, which recorded business investment in the arts as £113 million.

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit: Foreign Nationals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families comprised of foreign nationals are claiming housing benefit in the UK.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will (a) commission research to estimate the number of people from other EU member states who receive (i) in-work and (ii) out of work benefits in the UK; and if he will publish that information before 23 June 2016.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will (a) commission research to estimate the number of people from other EU member states who receive housing benefit and (b) publish that information before 23 June 2016.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will (a) commission research to estimate the number of people from other EU member-states who receive universal credit and (b) publish that information before 23 June 2016.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will (a) commission research to estimate the number of people from other EU member states who receive support through the Work Programme and (b) publish that information before 23 June 2016.

Mr Shailesh Vara: There are no current plans to conduct the analyses listed.

European Social Fund

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of administering European Social Funds in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Department cannot separate out the costs of administering the functions for the European Social Fund (ESF) programme.

Occupational Pensions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of members of master trust pension schemes who are enrolled in schemes subject to the master trust assurance framework.

Justin Tomlinson: Over 90% of the total memberships within master trust schemes are in master trusts that are signed up to the master trust assurance framework. This is a performance indicator for the Pensions Regulator and the result will be published in their next annual report and accounts.

Income Support

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's latest estimate is of the number of parents with children who will be claiming income support in April 2017.

Priti Patel: The Department has not made an estimate.

Universal Credit

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's latest estimate is of the number of parents with children who will be claiming universal credit in April 2017.

Priti Patel: We do not issue forecasts of these volumes. Forecasts of volumes will be published once the data series is established and robust.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants making the transition from employment and support allowance to jobseeker's allowance have received a decision assurance call; and what the outcome was of each such call.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to modify the universal credit online application system to allow an application to be saved and returned to by applicants.

Priti Patel: The universal credit full service online application system does have this functionality but the full service is currently only available in a limited number of areas. National expansion of the Universal Credit full service will begin from May 2016, completing in June 2018.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on claimants of the time which elapses between a claim for universal credit and the first payment of that benefit.

Priti Patel: Many people who claim Universal Credit have come from the world of employment and have final earnings or other income to support themselves until their first benefit payment. With Universal Credit all claimants can get help with budgeting and those in financial need can ask for a Universal Credit advance.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claims for universal credit were made online in each year since that benefit was introduced.

Priti Patel: A year by year breakdown of the information requested is not available for publication. We can say that since its introduction, around 90% of Universal Credit claims have been made online.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the extent of errors in payments of universal credit arising from errors in PAYE real time information.

Priti Patel: DWP and HMRC are continually monitoring the quality of Real Time Information (RTI). This includes information regarding erroneous data.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases: Security

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25082, how many unauthorised entries to military bases were (a) investigated by a military police force, (b) investigated by Ministry of Defence Police and (c) referred to a local civilian police force for investigation in 2015.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) treats all unauthorised entries to military bases very seriously. They are investigated to a level commensurate with their complexity and impact by Military Police, MOD Police or local constabulary.A breakdown of how unauthorised entries to military bases recorded within the MOD for 2015 were investigated is set out below. Unauthorised Entries recorded in 2015  Investigated By Military Police Force 14  Investigated By Ministry of Defence Police 5  Referred to a local Civilian Police Force 27

Military Bases: Security

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, at which military bases unauthorised entries were reported in each year from 2014.

Mark Lancaster: The figures for unauthorised entries to military bases include drones and air balloon flying at low altitude over military sites but do not include failed attempts at authorised access. None of these incidents resulted in any significant ramifications for Defence security.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) treats all unauthorised entries very seriously. They are investigated to a level commensurate with their complexity and impact by Military Police, MOD Police or local constabulary.The locations of security incidents of this category recorded within the Ministry of Defence for 2014 are set out below.Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) PortsmouthHMNB ClydeRoyal Marine (RM) StonehouseArmy Reserve Centre, BristolArmy Reserve Centre, BlackburnArmy Careers Centre, GlasgowRAF HaltonRAF Kirton on LindsayRAF WytonRAF Linton on OuseRAF Brize NortonRAF ScamptonRAF BensonRAF HoningtonRAF MonaDSTL Porton Down Range AreaWith regard to the locations of security incidents of this category within the MOD for 2015 I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 9 February 2016 to question number 25082.



25082 - Military Bases Security
(Word Document, 18.98 KB)

Weapons: Procurement

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department's policy on the procurement of Autonomous Weapons Systems.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not possess any fully autonomous weapon systems and has no plans to develop, procure or operate them. MOD policy is clear that all weapon systems will be under human control.

Army: Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the drop out rate for army recruit training was in 2015.

Mark Lancaster: The average rate of those leaving the Regular Army during recruit training in 2015 was 28%. This figure is for untrained Regular Army personnel only, and therefore excludes Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves.For information relating to Army Reserve training rates, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Reserves (Mr Brazier) on 8 March 2016 to Question 29128 to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Ms Thornberry).



29128 - QnA extract - Army Reserve Recruitment
(Word Document, 16 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Mark Lancaster: This information is not held in the format requested.In April 2010 and January 2016 there were less than 10 Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian personnel employed at locations within the Unitary Authority of Cheshire East.Full details of how the planned reductions in MOD civilian staff numbers announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 will be profiled over the next five years are not yet available and will be developed as programmes mature.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many allegations of (a) sexual assault, (b) voyeurism, (c) sexual activity in a public lavatory and (d) exposure have been dealt with summarily by a commanding officer in each year since 2009.

Mark Lancaster: Commanding Officers do not have the power to deal by summary hearing with the offences of sexual assault, voyeurism, sexual activity in a public lavatory or exposure. These charges can only be dealt with by Court Martial or Service Civilian Court.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to provide additional emergency accommodation for homeless people in London.

Mr Marcus Jones: One person without a home is one too many and we are committed to do all we can to prevent homelessness. We recently provided an additional £5 million for local authorities facing the greatest pressures in moving people out of temporary accommodation and into a settled home. 21 local authorities in London received a share of this funding.We invested in the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond in London, which aimed to turn around the lives of 830 entrenched rough sleepers. So far, over half have achieved positive outcomes. We have also supported the roll-out of No Second Night Out through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund, which has also helped fund more than 30 London based projects aimed at tackling homelessness. The Greater London Authority No Second Night Out project has helped new rough sleepers in London off the street quickly and prevented them from becoming entrenched.

Housing Ombudsman Service

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what average time the Housing Ombudsman has taken to allocate a case in each year since 2009-10.

Brandon Lewis: We do not hold this data centrally.

Secure Tenancies: Disability

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy that provisions to end lifetime tenancies in the Housing and Planning Bill will maintain the secure tenancies of tenants who choose to move to more suitable accommodation because of a disability.

Brandon Lewis: Where existing lifetime tenants transfer to another social home, local authorities will retain a discretion to offer the tenant a further lifetime tenancy. We will set out the circumstances in regulations, and will give serious consideration to whether these should include disabled tenants who need to move to more suitable accommodation.

Local Government: Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31226, on how many occasions his Department has found a local authority to be non-compliant with (a) the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and (b) the Local Government Transparency Code 2015.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31226, how his Department monitors local authorities for compliance with their obligation under the (a) Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and (b) Local Government Transparency Code 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 14 April 2016



My Department has recently completed compliance testing of local authorities with the Local Government Transparency Code 2015, which entailed checking the websites of 103 authorities, a 25% sample of authorities to which the Transparency Code applies, for the data they are required to publish. We are currently analysing the initial results, including to ascertain whether where expected information has not been found on an authority’s website this is an accurate reflection of the authority’s circumstances or due to non-compliance.Principal local authorities will not be required to comply with the provisions of the Local Audit and Accountability Act until 1 April 2018 [and Health and smaller bodies from 1 April 2017]. Compliance is currently monitored by Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd, a transitional body appointed to manage existing audit arrangements until they expire.

Housing Ombudsman Service: Complaints

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make plans to provide the Housing Ombudsman service with greater powers to deal with complaints from members of the public.

Brandon Lewis: There are no current plans to provide the Housing Ombudsman Service with greater powers.

Domestic Violence: Supported Housing

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of supported housing in helping people who are fleeing domestic abuse.

Mr Marcus Jones: We understand the importance of ensuring that those people living in supported accommodation, including refuges, who are generally the most vulnerable members of our society, receive appropriate protections.Domestic Abuse is a devastating crime and the Government is determined to ensure that no victim is turned away from the support they need. The Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy set out our ambition to improve services for women suffering from domestic abuse, committing to a new Statement of Expectations to set out for the first time what we expect from local areas. To support this, we are launching a new two year fund for refuges and other forms of accommodation based support and to help local areas take the steps they need to meet the National Statement.We have commissioned an evidence review of the supported housing sector which we expect to report shortly.

Safe Areas

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authority areas in which the Safe Places scheme is used.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department has made no estimate of the number of local authority areas in which the Safe Places scheme is used.

Communities and Local Government: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) full-time equivalent civil servants work in his Department and (b) civil servants work full-time on the Northern Powerhouse agenda.

Mr Mark Francois: There are currently 1651 full time equivalent civil servants working in the Department for Communities and Local Government.The Northern Powerhouse is a key ambition of this Government which requires input from officials across DCLG and other Government Departments, across a wide range of policy areas. This enables bottom-up ownership of the Northern Powerhouse agenda by Northern areas to ensure the North can influence, direct and benefit from the Northern Powerhouse, including through Devolution Deals.

Travellers: Discrimination

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Romani people are not being discriminated against in the UK.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committed to creating a fair society in which all people, of whatever ethnic origin or background, are able to participate fully in society and realise their full potential. The Government deplores racism in all its forms and is determined to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get on in life, free from harassment and fear. The UK has a strong and well-established legal framework to combat discrimination and hate crime, which protects all individuals, including Roma, from racial and other forms of discrimination, and racially motivated crime. Officials in my Department hold regular meetings with Roma, Gypsy and Traveller organisations to discuss issues of concern to those communities.

HM Treasury

Taxation: Migrant Workers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what work his Department is undertaking on establishing the amount of income tax and national insurance that is paid by people who were non-UK nationals at the time of issue of their national insurance number; if his Department will undertake that analysis by nationality; and what plans his Department has to publish the outcome of such work.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to providing data on active National Insurance numbers used by people from other EU countries. HMRC is currently compiling this information and is working closely with the ONS, which is currently reconciling the four main sources of international migration data. The data on active National Insurance numbers will be published as part of or alongside the ONS’ publication. It’s up to that independent statistics authority as to when they are ready to make the information public.

Individual Savings Accounts

Julian Knight: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to cap charges on equity investment lifetime ISAs.

Harriett Baldwin: The new Lifetime ISA will provide savers with the flexibility to save towards a first home and retirement at the same time. From April 2017, people aged 18 to 40 will be able to save up to £4,000 each year into a Lifetime ISA and receive a 25% bonus from the Government. The Government is engaging with the industry on the detail of implementation and regulation of the Lifetime ISA. Further details will be announced when the Government brings forward legislation to enact the Lifetime ISA in the autumn.

Business Premises Renovation Allowance

Stephen Doughty: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many schemes have benefited from the Business Premises Renovation Allowance in each of the last five years; and what the average value of such benefit was.

Mr David Gauke: The table below shows the number of Business Premises Renovation Allowance claims by year and the average cost in tax relief per claim for the last five years for which data is available. Some businesses may have made more than one BPRA claim for a single project and some claims may involve more than one project.   2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14Number of claims2,0501,4501,5501,4001,400Average cost per claim£14,200£20,500£63,000£27,800£19,300

Social Rented Housing: Stamp Duty Land Tax

John Healey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Higher Stamp Duty Land Tax rates announced in Budget 2016 will be levied on properties acquired by social landlords under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Mr David Gauke: The higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for additional properties was introduced to try to make it fairer for people trying to get their foot on the property ladder. Under SDLT legislation, there are exemptions to the tax, including the higher rates, for certain acquisitions by registered social landlords.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Coal Fired Power Stations

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to open her Department's consultation on the timetable for closing all coal-fired power stations in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Climate Change Convention: Paris

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress the Government has made on its commitment to enshrine the Paris climate deal into UK law.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the level of support offered through the Contract for Difference for Hinkley Point C as a result of low wholesale energy prices.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Prices

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department will publish its most recent assessment of the effect of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy and Climate Change Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many times she has attended public meetings of the Energy and Climate Change Committee since her appointment.

Amber Rudd: Since my appointment as Secretary of State, I have attended public meetings of the Energy and Climate Change Committee on three occasions. Attendance at Committee meetings is a matter of public record, and transcripts of such appearances can be found in Hansard and on Committee web pages.

Cabinet Office

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is a specific budget for advertising the Government's position on the EU referendum; and whether he plans to advertise that position in the media, on billboards and in newspapers before 23 June 2016.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the tendering process was for the Government's EU referendum leaflet; and what the cost of that leaflet was under each cost heading.

John Penrose: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14th April to the Hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex on 14th April.All external suppliers used were on existing Government procurement agreements, which have been awarded in compliance with the relevant procurement Regulations.The Government will comply fully with the statutory restrictions in place from 27th May.

Armed Conflict: Syria

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Joint Intelligence Committee has revised its estimate of the number of non-extremist opposition fighters in Syria since 2 December 2015.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The JIC regularly assess the numbers involved in fighting in Syria and their loyalties. The JIC has concluded that non-extremist opposition numbers have held up despite recent pressure. Numbers in groups fighting Daesh are likely to have increased.

Drugs: Death

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make a comparative assessment of how many deaths were caused by new psychoactive substances in the UK, Ireland and Poland in each year since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Death by Substances
(PDF Document, 127.86 KB)

Civil Servants: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the policy of publishing details of officials who earn more than the Prime Minister applies to temporary appointments.

Matthew Hancock: Following the review by HM Treasury in 2012 of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointees, departments are responsible for publishing information on temporary appointments and other contingent labour in their annual accounts. Before 2012, such transparency did not exist.

Electronic Government

Will Quince: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will take steps to allow web-users to include honours when completing government online forms.

Matthew Hancock: This is a matter for individual departments who are responsible for determining the level of information required for their online forms.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Members: Correspondence

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 24 February 2016 on Game Farming in the UK, case reference ZA3022.

George Eustice: The letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 24 February 2016 on Game Farming in the UK was replied to on 18 April 2016.

Marine Environment: Plastics

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of microbeads on marine ecosystems.

George Eustice: Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is expected to be published shortly.

Climate Change

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department has allocated for (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 to help the UK prepare for the effects of climate change.

Rory Stewart: Adaptation is embedded as an integral part of policy making across Defra and all levels of Government and within a broad range of programmes and activities that directly or indirectly support and build the UK’s resilience to climate change. The first National Adaptation Programme sets out more than 370 actions to help the UK better prepare for climate change and we continue to deliver on these actions. In Defra we are taking action across the breadth of the department’s policies, from our £2.3 billion flood defence programme to the Forestry Commission increasing the diversity of its planting stock so that the Public Forest Estate is resilient to the changing climate.

Food: Additives

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staple foods in the UK are subject to mandatory fortification.

George Eustice: Wheat flour is the only food with mandatory fortification requirements in the UK. All wheat flour (except wholemeal) is required to be fortified with calcium, iron, niacin and thiamin at specific levels prescribed in the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998.

Department of Health

Brain: Tumours

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support the Government provides to research into the causes and treatment of brain tumours.

George Freeman: The Department funds the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to increase the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, drive faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and develop and support the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. NIHR cancer research expenditure has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £135 million in 2014/15 (the latest available figure). Most of this investment (£111 million in 2014/15) is in cancer research infrastructure where spend on specific disease areas such as brain tumours cannot be separated from total infrastructure expenditure. This infrastructure including NIHR biomedical research centres and the NIHR Clinical Research Network.The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. It is an independent research funding body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The MRC supports research through a range of grants and personal awards to scientists in universities, medical schools and other research institutes and welcomes investigator-initiated research proposals in all areas of research relevant to human health. Between 2010/11 to 2014/15 the MRC spent £10.9 million supporting research into brain and pituitary tumours, spanning basic discovery science, translational projects to progress treatments to clinics and early clinical trials.More brain tumour research is needed and, as announced on 18 April, Official Report, columns 258-59WH, I will be convening a working group of clinicians, charities and officials to discuss how working together with our research funding partners, we can address this.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prosecutions there have been under legislation on tobacco display in retail outlets since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts under legislation on tobacco display in retail outlets, England and Wales, 2010 to 2014 can be viewed in the table: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts under legislation on tobacco display in retail outlets1 England and Wales, 2010 to 20142,3 2010201120122013201422654 1 Includes Sec 8, and 16(2) of Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 20022 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for or found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. Court proceedings data for 2015 are planned for publication in due course. Legislation restricting the display of tobacco products in retail outlets came into force for large stores in 2012 and for all other retailers in April 2015. The penalty for non-compliance is a fine not exceeding £5,000 on summary conviction in a magistrates' court. Trading standards have taken a compliance building approach at both stages of implementation, providing information and advice on the first visit, with follow up visits if needed and issuing warnings before considering court action. Compliance by large retailers has been almost universal since the legislation came into force. Early indications are that compliance in small shops is also high.

Ambulance Services: North East

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the improved performance of the North East Ambulance NHS Trust in meeting its response time targets.

Jane Ellison: We expect all National Health Service ambulance trusts, including the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, to take action to ensure they meet the response time targets, and that commissioners oversee and support this process. Ambulance services are facing unprecedented demand, delivering over 2,800 more emergency journeys every day compared to 2010 and still continue to respond to the majority of life-threatening cases in under eight minutes. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement to monitor and support performance across all ambulance trusts in 2016-17. In the longer term, NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review will aim to tackle the root causes of the increasing demand on urgent and emergency care services.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the future effect of the introduction of the national living wage on sleep-in payments used by the learning disability sector.

Alistair Burt: We have not made a specific assessment of the effect of the introduction of the National Living Wage on sleep-in payments used by the learning disability sector. However, as part of the recent Spending Review, the Department considered adult social care expenditure and the future demand for services, and engaged closely with providers within the sector. This included the impact of the new National Living Wage on local authority finances as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures.

Dental Services: Costs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of providing NHS dental services was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of dental practices which were accepting NHS patients in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Information is not collected centrally by the Department on the number of dentists taking on new patients. The table below shows the expenditure on National Health Service dental services. The total expenditure figures have been broken down into primary care (delivered by high street dentists through General or Personal Dental Service contracts (GDS/PDS)) and other services (delivered in community and secondary care settings).   2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/151Primary Care (Net) Expenditure on GDS / PDS£2,075,965£2,175,560£2,190,685£2,056,469£2,030,2942Patient Charge Revenue-£617,014-£637,121-£653,006-£683,583-£716,0143Primary Care (Gross) Expenditure on GDS / PDS£2,692,979£2,812,681£2,843,691£2,740,052£2,746,3084Other (Community and Secondary Care)£826,857£602,327£740,640£818,042£851,6875Total Expenditure£3,519,836£3,415,008£3,584,331£3,558,094£3,597,995 Notes:Total expenditure is the sum of rows 3 and 4.Expenditure figures between years is not directly comparable owing to changes in commissioning arrangements from primary care trusts (PCTs) to NHS England from April 2013.In addition, responsibility for public health and prevention programme moved from PCTs to local authorities.Source: Rows 1, 2, 3 -Primary Care expenditure Departmental accounts; row 4 - Other Programme Budgeting NHS England.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the evidential basis is for NHS England's decision not to fund the pre-exposure drug prophyaxis for HIV for the at-risk population.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has placed its position on the commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) under review. This review of the commissioning process will be undertaken by the Specialised Services Committee of NHS England in late May 2016. Depending on the outcome of that decision, a further decision taking account of the clinical evidence for PrEP, the evidence and demand for other new treatments not currently commissioned and NHS England's available funding and priorities is currently planned for June 2016.

Blood: Contamination

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of his Department's recent consultation on infected blood was; how many responses that consultation received from (a) people with Stage 1 hepatitis C, (b) people with Stage 2 hepatitis C, (c) people with HIV, (d) people with HIV and hepatitis C, (e) the widows and widowers of those affected and (f) other people; and how many full-time equivalent staff have been allocated to running that consultation.

Jane Ellison: The main costs associated with the consultation on reform of the infected blood payment schemes were for printing of the consultation document and postage of letters to inform all 3,482 scheme registrants, and 180 hon. Members, of the launch of the consultation. This amounted to £7,177 and was taken from the Department’s own budgets. A core team of three civil servants, with senior management input, is developing the new payment scheme and the consultation is integral to their work. Thirteen additional staff members, from across the Department, are helping to analyse the consultation responses.Information on the respondents’ status was collected as part of the consultation but it was not obligatory to provide it and neither was it collected in the way asked in this question.Consultation responses are still being analysed, however to date, the number of respondents by category are; I have hepatitis C (from infected National Health Service supplied blood/blood products)894I am HIV positive (from infected NHS supplied blood/blood products)101I am immediate family (a widow, partner, child or parent) of someone infected with hepatitis C, HIV or both by an NHS blood/blood product277I am a carer for a person infected with hepatitis C, HIV or both by an NHS supplied blood/blood products)30Prefer not to say23Other165Not answered50

Mental Health Services: Finance

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that all clinical commissioning groups increase investment in mental health services each year at a level which at least matches their overall expenditure increase.

Alistair Burt: The Government’s Mandate to NHS England sets out an expectation for NHS England to achieve measurable progress towards the parity of esteem for mental health enshrined in the NHS Constitution. Progress is being monitored as part of NHS England’s planning and financial reporting process.Delivering the Forward View: NHS planning guidance for 2016-17 requires clinical commissioning groups (CCG) to increase investment in mental health services above their overall increase in allocation each year. This can include investment in primary or secondary mental health services, which should be aligned with delivery of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health: a report from the Independent Mental Health Taskforce published in February 2016.Where a CCG is not investing in mental health services as planned and without providing adequate justification, NHS England will work with the CCG to bring their spending back in line with their plan.

Home Care Services: Pay

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) councils and (b) other large employers of homecare workers on the payment of workers for their travel time.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to councils on the payment of homecare workers for their travel time.

Alistair Burt: It is for providers to ensure that they are complying with legislation and paying workers for the time they are legally entitled to be paid for. The Care Act 2014 is clear that local authorities should ensure that care workers are paid at least minimum wage, and are paid for travel time between appointments. We are working with local authorities and the care sector to improve social care commissioning, including supporting the sector to commission in a way that promotes quality, including meeting legal requirements on staff pay in relation to travel time. There is clear Government Guidance on the issue of payment for work related travel time. It can be found in full on this website: http://www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-different-types-work/overview

Healthy Start Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to maximise the take-up of Healthy Start vouchers.

Jane Ellison: The Healthy Start Issuing Unit contacts families who are newly eligible for the scheme with an invitation to apply and an application leaflet. A reminder letter with another copy of the application form is issued if an application has not been received after six weeks. We publicise the scheme via the Healthy Start website and Start 4 Life provide a texting service reminding potential beneficiaries to take up the vouchers. Midwives and health visitors play a key role at a local level in promoting awareness of the scheme and we continue to look for other opportunities to promote the scheme.The Department is also planning to explore how digital technology could make it easier to receive Healthy Start benefits in the future as part of the Government’s wider digital strategy.

Blood: Contamination

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Wales Office and (b) Welsh Government on ensuring that Welsh victims of contaminated blood are not left worse off than counterparts in other parts of the UK in any compensation arrangements.

Jane Ellison: The proposals for reform and the additional money committed by the Department are for those infected in England. It is a matter for the devolved administrations to decide how support is provided for those infected in their territory, but they could opt to make same reforms as the Department and share administrative arrangements following scheme reform. Officials from the Department hosted a meeting on 24 March with officials from each of the devolved administrations, including the Welsh Government, to discuss infected blood scheme reform. Departmental officials will continue to collaborate with their counterparts from the Welsh Government on this. Separately, officials also keep the Wales Office informed of progress in this area through official channels such as the Home Affairs Committee.

Patients: Registration

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what safeguards are in place to ensure that patients are not removed from patient registers without their prior knowledge.

Alistair Burt: Where a general practitioner (GP) practice wishes to remove a patient from their list the contract, between the practice and NHS England, requires practices to have reasonable grounds for doing so. The contract also requires practices to have notified the patient in the preceding 12 months that they are at risk of removal from the list and explained the reasons for this.Practices must notify NHS England and the patient of the intended removal and the reasons for the removal. It is the responsibility of NHS England to notify the patient that they will be, or have been, removed from their practice’s list of patients. Removal from the list will take place on the eighth day after NHS England receive notification of the removal or the date on which NHS England are notified that the patient has registered with another GP practice.Where a patient is receiving treatment at intervals of less than seven days, the removal will take place on the eighth day after treatment is no longer needed or the date on which NHS England receives notification that the patient has registered with another practice.

Congenital Abnormalities: Databases

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the postcodes for the addresses of mothers of babies born with congenital abnormalities are available on the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers.

George Freeman: The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) is operated by Public Health England. NCARDRS has legal permission to collect patient identifiable data without the need for individual consent. As part of this dataset, patient postcodes for individuals resident in England are recorded on the NCARDRS congenital anomaly database. Protection of individual patient data is paramount and release of this data, including postcode data, is strictly controlled.

Congenital Abnormalities

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many live births of children affected by (a) spina bifida, (b) hydrocephaly and (c) anencephaly there have been in each of the last five years.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures are in place to monitor the take-up of advice on NHS websites on prevention of spina bifida.

Jane Ellison: Information on the number of live births affected by congenital abnormalities including spina bifida, hydrocephalus and anencephaly has been collected by the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers and is currently available for the years 2009–2012 at: http://www.binocar.org/publications/reports There are no current mechanisms in place for monitoring the take-up of advice given on the NHS Choices website about preventing spina bifida.

Food: Testing

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which local authorities did not report any food standards sampling in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 via the Local Authority Monitoring System; and how many samples were taken by each local authority that took at least one sample.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many reports of food standards sampling were submitted to each local authority's appointed public analyst in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; how many of those reports submitted to the public analyst were taken as part of a Food Standards Agency-funded project; and how many of those reports were paid for by the local authority.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) collects sampling data from local authorities on an annual basis. Food standards sampling is the responsibility of county councils, unitary authorities, the London Boroughs and some but not all metropolitan borough councils. Sampling for food standards covers analyses for chemical (other) contamination, composition, and labelling and presentation. Sampling data, including for food standards, and total numbers of samples taken for 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15, as reported by local authorities, are published on the FSA’s website at the links below. All of the food standards samples reported would have been submitted for analysis to the public analyst appointed by the individual local authorities. The data at the links covers food standards samples paid for by FSA and those paid for by the local authorities. 2014/15 - www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/laems-uk-sampling-data-2014-15.xlsx 2013/14 - www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/laems-sampling-data-2013-14.xls 2012/13 - www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/spreadsheets/laems-sampling_2012-13.xls Local authorities with responsibility for food standards that did not report sampling in 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 are shown below. 2014/15 - Isles of Scilly 2013/14 - Isles of Scilly, Sutton, Blackpool, Rutland 2012/13 - Isles of Scilly, Birmingham, Rochdale, Blackburn, Rutland, Leicester City, Swindon, South Lanarkshire and Armagh Where the FSA pays for a local authority to take a sample, and its analysis, FSA requires that the data on the sample is reported on the UK Food Surveillance System. Total figures for each period are shown in the table below.  2012/132013/142014/15Total United Kingdom food standards samples taken by local authorities33,43136,71024,286Total UK food standards samples funded by FSA2,9365,6836,243Total UK food standards samples funded by local authorities30,49531,02718,043

Hospitals: Staff

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for how many hospital shifts a full complement of staff was not available in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not hold this information. All National Health Service providers of regulated activities have to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fall. One of the fundamental standards relates to staffing and requires that a provider must have sufficient numbers of suitability qualified, competent, skilled and experienced persons in order to meet the requirements of residents. The CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers that it can use if the provider is not does not meet the fundamental standards.

General Practitioners

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of people removed without notification from GP practice patient registers in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS: Apprentices

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many places through Health Education England have been available for Healthcare Cadet apprenticeships in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; and what forecast he has made of the number of such places that will be made available in 2016-17.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Healthcare Cadet scheme.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what level of funding was allocated for Healthcare Cadet apprenticeships in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; and what the forecast level of funding for such apprenticeships is in 2016-17.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) is committed to supporting a range of vocational based learning programmes, including the healthcare cadet apprenticeships in the North West.Health Education England North West make approximately 400 places available through the programme every year. HEE undertook an extensive consultation with National Health Service trusts and dental practices, about the Healthcare Cadet Scheme. On the basis of the feedback received, HEE decided to close the programme and have developed a new model for vocational training to start in April 2017.Healthcare cadetships are available in other areas. No data is collected centrally on these.There are several Healthcare Cadet apprenticeship schemes in operation across England. No data is available on national spending on these schemes. No national assessment has been made on the effectiveness of Healthcare Cadet schemes.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32447, what steps his Department has taken to check whether all the local transformation plans have been published online.

Alistair Burt: As part of NHS England’s robust assurance process for Local Transformation Plans (LTPs) all local areas were asked to publish their LTP in an accessible format and made widely available to improve transparency. As part of its quarter three monitoring process NHS England has asked that clinical commissioning groups submit the website address on which its LTP has been published. NHS England is currently reviewing that this has happened.

Mental Health Services: Females

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has a team with specific responsibility for addressing women's mental health.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on improving women's mental health since the publication in 2010 of Working towards women's wellbeing: unfinished business.

Alistair Burt: The Department’s mental health policy teams provide strategic policy advice on mental health for people of all ages and genders. When issues are specific to a gender these are addressed within the policy development.The Coalition Government published a national mental health strategy No Health Without Mental Health in 2012 which addressed mental health issues for the whole population, and introduced the concept of parity of esteem for mental health. This Government continues to hold NHS England to account through the NHS Mandate for the achievement of measurable progress towards the parity of esteem for mental health.The Government announced almost £1 billion of additional investment for mental health in January 2016 including £290 million of new investment over the next five years to provide mental healthcare for new mothers. The Mental Health Taskforce Report published in February 2016 set out a recommendation for NHS England to ensure that by 2020/21 at least 30,000 more women each year access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period. The recommendation stated this should include access to psychological therapies and the right range of specialist community or inpatient care so that comprehensive, high-quality services are in place across England.

Brain: Tumours

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much he estimates will be spent on research into brain tumours in children and young people (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total spend on cancer research in each of the next three years.

George Freeman: Total spend by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in each of the next three years on cancer research, and on research relating specifically to brain tumours in children and young people, will depend on the number and scale of successful applications to NIHR programmes and fellowship schemes and on the volume of research supported by NIHR infrastructure including biomedical research centres and the NIHR Clinical Research Network. More brain tumour research is needed and, as I announced on 18 April, Official Report, columns 258-59WH, I will be convening a working group of clinicians, charities and officials to discuss how working together with our research funding partners, we can address this.

Hospitals

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals he has visited in an official capacity in 2016; and what the date was of each such visit.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which primary care services he has visited in an official capacity in 2016; and what the date was of each such visit.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which residential and nursing homes he has visited in an official capacity in 2016; and what the date was of each such visit.

Jane Ellison: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and his team have visited the following hospitals in an official capacity in 2016 to date. Secretary of State for Health29 January 2016 Kings College Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King’s Health Partners5 February 2016 Coombe Wood Perinatal Mental Health Unit, Park Royal Centre for Mental Health, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust14 April 2016 Oxford University, Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust Lord Prior6 January 2016 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust20 January 2016 East Surrey Hospital, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust3 February 2016 St Thomas Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust18 February 2016 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts16 March 2016 Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust22 March 2016 Guy’s Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust24 March 2016 Royal Derby Hospital, Derby Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust24 March 2016 Lings Bar Hospital, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust12 April 2016 Royal Brompton Hospital, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust Ben Gummer14 January 2016 Watford General Hospital, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust21 January 2016 Salford Royal Hospital, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust21 January 2016 St Mary’s Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust15 February 2016 Royal Cornwall Hospital, at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust16 February 2016 Mount Gould Hospital, Livewell Southwest16 February 2016 Tiverton and District Hospital, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust17 February 2016 Dorset County Hospital, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust17 February 2016 Southampton General Hospital, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust29 February 2016 St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust14 March 2016 St Thomas’ Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Alistair Burt3 March 2016 St Pancras Hospital, Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust11 March 2016 Wythenshawe Hospital, University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust17 March 2016 Kings College Hospital, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust14 April 2016 Clock View Hospital and Ashworth Hospital, Mersey Care NHS TrustGeorge Freeman7 March 2016 CityLabs, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Oxford Rd, Manchester My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and his team have visited the following primary care services in an official capacity in 2016 to date. Secretary of State for Health15 January 2016 Hillfoot Surgery, Pudsey, West Yorkshire Alistair Burt11 February 2016 Copes Pharmacy Ltd, London11 March 2016 Five Oakes Family Practice, Manchester Jane Ellison4 February 2016 The Acton African Well Woman Clinic, Hillcrest Surgery, London My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and his team have visited the following residential and nursing homes in an official capacity in 2016 to date. Secretary of State for Health5 February 2016 Coombe Wood Perinatal Mental Health Unit, Park Royal Centre for Mental Health, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust Ben Gummer15 February 2016 St Julia's Hospice, Cornwall Hospice Care Alistair Burt25 February 2016 The Betty and Asher Loftus Centre, London

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to work with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust following the closure of Chorley Accident and Emergency unit.

Ben Gummer: The Department is concerned about the current situation at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital and is actively monitoring developments. These matters, including recruitment, are for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as employer, and NHS Improvement as regulator. The Trust has not asked the Department for any support in resolving these issues.